Congressman Long has proved he deserves second term

U.S. Rep. Billy Long was elected to Congress two years ago among a tidal wave of conservatives, giving Republicans control of the House.

Unlike some of his colleagues in the tea party wing, Long has learned important lessons about pragmatism and compromise.

Because of that, he deserves your vote for a second term.

In 2010, we endorsed Long, a Springfield Republican, after a tumultuous primary and general election campaign, urging him to use his proven business skills and asking him "to bring common sense to Washington."

In mid-2011, we chided him for falling in with a group of hard-line congressmen taking uncompromising positions on our federal budget mess. At the time, we said it was time for Long to get beyond being "fed up" and start looking out for the best interests of his constituents.

Long was fond of saying he was "tea party before tea party was cool," and he still identifies with key ideals of that conservative movement, including cutting spending, rolling back the size of government and putting in place a balanced budget amendment to the U.S. Constitution.

But in an interview with the News-Leader Editorial Board, Long was quick to emphasize an emerging role as a pragmatic conservative, "knowing what you can get done." He talks about the need for compromise in upcoming budget negotiations, and while he is against raising taxes, he thinks all spending programs - including defense - "could take a small haircut."

As an example of his efforts to reach out to others, he mentioned his work with other Republicans, Democrats and the White House on important trade agreements for South Korea, Panama and Colombia.

Reflecting the views of his constituents, Long has been a vocal opponent of the Affordable Care Act, widely known as Obamacare, but he recognizes the value of key components, such as prohibiting denial of coverage because of pre-existing conditions.

Where Long has particularly excelled is in constituent relations - and he and his staff were severely tested by the needs of Joplin and area residents in the wake of the EF5 tornado in May 2011.

We're disappointed that Long chose not to meet publicly with his opponent, Jim Evans, a retired schoolteacher. And we think Long could do more to make himself accessible to voters and the press, rather than relying on automated phone call "town hall" meetings. Nothing is a substitute for a face-to-face meeting and citizens would have benefited from seeing Long defend his record against his Democratic opponent.

Evans presented himself as a smart, sincere and well-meaning candidate - but with views well outside the mainstream of southwest Missouri. For instance, he talked of switching to a single-payer system for health care and of the need for major public investments in infrastructure, while going after cuts in a "ridiculously bloated defense budget."

As we said two years ago, "Long seems to best voice the opinions of the average resident of southwest Missouri. We believe he is prepared to stand up for those opinions."

Billy Long wants to make a difference, and he deserves another two years to prove he can.

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Congressman Long has proved he deserves second term

U.S. Rep. Billy Long was elected to Congress two years ago among a tidal wave of conservatives, giving Republicans control of the House.